The Betrayal (La Trahison, 2005)

Starring Vincent Martinez, Ahmed Berrhama

Adapted by Philippe Faucon and Soraya Nini from the novel by Claude Sales

Directed by Philippe Faucon

Americans got their Sixties movies over with decades ago, and by now are up to reviving the Eighties, with results so glib that it makes me long for times I wasn't around for. Fortunately, not only are the French willing to oblige, they're also aware that for many, the Sixties weren't as idyllic as boomer revisionism would have you believe. This is set in Algeria, 1960, and revolves around four draftees of Arab descent who translate and fight under their superior Roque (Vincent Martinez). The title tells us what to expect, but who'll betray whom? Adapted from Claude Sales's novel, it's fairly neat and literary, but it avoids easy answers. Small-scale on a wide screen, it punches above its weight.

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